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The Indian cricket team's unexpected 0-2 series loss to South Africa in the recent red-ball series has sent shockwaves through the squad.

Earlier this week, the visiting team handed India their heaviest Test defeat by runs, defying expectations. It was the Proteas' first series win in the subcontinent in two and a half decades and the host nation's second home series loss in just 12 months after a decade-plus without a home loss.

The momentum established in the last several months has largely dissipated and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir - are under scrutiny.

Early Optimism Vanishes

The young team's commendable display in England this summer, under a fresh leadership, indicated a successful handover following the near-simultaneous exits of veterans Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

A facile 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the home season boosted that belief, until the South Africans came and inflicted a fell blow.

India were a tad unfortunate that captain Shubman Gill got injured very early in the opening Test and did not participate again in the contest. However, that fails to account for the squad of the highly disappointing performance in both Tests against the opposition.

Several established players suffered, and several players aspiring to lengthy Test careers were revealed to be still inadequate - technically or mentally - for the longer format.

Worrying Trend

This represented the second whitewash at home suffered by the Indian team in just over a year. In 2024, unfancied New Zealand had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which essentially denied India a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The recent defeat to the Proteas risks harming India's hopes of making the showpiece of this season as well.

Previously ranked third in the WTC rankings ahead of the matches, India have fallen to fifth place. Even though nine more Tests are still to come, a majority are against Australia. Typically, playing at home would be a major plus - even when facing the powerful Australians. Yet the failures against the Kiwis and South Africa offer no room for such comfort.

Causes of the Fall

India's vulnerability in the longer format has been badly exposed. Nevertheless, why India have struggled so much in Test matches on home soil lately is continues to confuse.

From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were seen as invincible in red-ball cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on tracks that favored spin bowling and aided their squad, India dominated all comers. A rare failure, such as in the 2012-13 season against the English, was considered an aberration.

Currently, the team look to be beatable at home.

Against New Zealand in 2024 and the Proteas currently, the home side were defeated by their own tactics. The tracks they developed to favor their game failed miserably, as rivals capitalized on them more skillfully, beating India's batsmen and bowlers when it mattered most.

What Happened?

Certain analysts propose that India is struggling at home because home surfaces have been modified from spinning tracks to quick wickets to train the squad to succeed abroad.

Others highlight that the IPL, in which many overseas players take part, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge home wickets would pose to them earlier.

While there is validity in both analyses, it fails to account for the reason the side's results at home have experienced such a sharp fall.

Various Shortcomings

Most former players identify a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.

Critics and players have highlighted multiple deficiencies after the team's disappointing performance to the South Africans: underrating the rivals, inadequate readiness, flawed selections, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising white-ball over the longer format.

This was obvious in the performances of the team.

Cricketers like Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, of whom great things were anticipated, were punished for their carelessness, while Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their position in the squad - fell short in skill and mindset, suffering the consequences for their lackadaisical method.

Just a few - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but inadequately to claim wins.

Management Questions

The post-mortem also included just the players - the selection panel and coaching staff were also under fire, fuelled by distraught fans and vocal past stars. Under focus of the examination was mentor Gautam Gambhir.

In his post-series press